


Up in the stars

by spirit_of_a_wolf_85



Series: Dadkoda and his kids [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang is a baby, change my mind, dadkoda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:01:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirit_of_a_wolf_85/pseuds/spirit_of_a_wolf_85
Summary: Aang feels confilicted because of his nearby fight with the Fire Lord. Although Hakoda can't give him the answer, he does have a bit of advice for him.......Dadkoda strikes again!
Relationships: Aang & Hakoda (Avatar)
Series: Dadkoda and his kids [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023436
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	Up in the stars

Hakoda walked at night, through the air temple’s empty aisles. This had been a long day. After Zuko’s breakdown, Hakoda had spent his afternoon sparring with him and Sokka. That gave him the opportunity to see how much Sokka had improved, and it also calmed the Fire Prince down. Hakoda needed a bit of action too, after the Boiling Rock.

He had seen Aang and Toph training earthbending, but Hakoda hadn’t stayed to watch. He knew from experience that flying rocks left painful injuries, and he didn’t quite trust a blind twelve-year old with another blindfolded twelve-year-old, even though one of them vas the supposed saviour of the world. The Avatar.

Hakoda had never thought he would meet the Avatar. He had always been a simple man, anchored to the earth, unlike his best friend Bato, who liked to ramble hour after hour about the portals in the poles, and how the spirit world affected the normal world. Bato knew everything he could about the spirits and their behaviour.

Hakoda used to tease Bato endlessly for his trust in magical beings, for his trust in spirits. And now, Hakoda’s own kids were travelling with _the bridge between worlds_ , the Avatar himself.

One fucking problem: Aang was twelve. He was still _a kid_.

Sokka and Katara had dealt with the Fire Nation raids since they were young. Hakoda had always thought it was unfair, the kids didn’t deserve to be in a middle of a war. And now, the world’s last hope was yet another _kid_. Hakoda wanted to protect Aang so bad, and even more after he heard about the Air Nomads’ destiny. 

Katara had told him about the other Airbenders, and how Aang had reacted upon seeing his mentor, Monk Gyatso, dead, gone fighting against a horde of Fire Nation soldiers. 

He remembered what his mother, back in the south, used to say when Hakoda bought home the occasional polar-puppy: _“Your parental instinct will get you killed one day!”_ Hakoda had always had a soft spot for kids, and he didn’t like seeing them suffer. After arriving from the Boiling Rock, Hakoda had made the decision to adopt the Gaang and Haru, Teo and The Duke.

Hakoda walked through the room where the Gaang was sleeping, and he stopped a second to watch them. Katara had Toph’s right hand grabbed like it was a lifeline. Toph had her left leg over Sokka’s, and Sokka had his hand over his boomerang. Zuko slept a little separated from them, but his scar was discovered, so he trusted the Gaang enough to sleep without protecting his bad side. Suki was a ball, sleeping back-to-back with Katara. Momo slept above Sokka’s stomach.

Wait… one kid remained. Where was Aang? _‘Tui and La, give me strength.’_ Hakoda thought as he sighed. He decided to look for the young Avatar around. He couldn’t be far away, could he? How big was this temple, anyway?

Answer: Very Big. Hakoda looked everywhere, but he couldn’t find the young airbender. He looked in every single room, in every single aisle, but Aang wasn’t anywhere. Finally, he decided that he could use a break. He decided to climb to a terrace Sokka had showed him that morning and watch the starred sky for a bit.

And there he was. Aang sat, arms hugging his knees, watching the constellations above. Hakoda approached with loud footsteps to avoid startling him, and he sat next to him.

Hakoda stayed silent, until Aang said “Hey, Chief Hakoda.” His voice wasn’t as cheerful as it always was, and that worried Hakoda. However, this was not the time to show hesitance. “Hey, Aang.” Hakoda said, smiling a bit. “What’s on your mind?”

Aang didn’t respond immediately. He sighed, looked down and closed his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me.” Hakoda said, noticing Aang was uncomfortable. The Avatar sighed again, and looked to Hakoda deep in the eyes. “It’s just… After seeing you with Sokka and Katara, I realized… I miss Gyatso so much.” His voice broke in the middle of the sentence.

Hakoda winced sympathetically. “I know, Aang. Katara told me about it.” Hakoda said simply. The Southern Water Tribe Chief realized that he had to let Aang talk in order to arrive to the bottom of the problem. So he shut his mouth, and listened.

“I mean, I woke up not a year ago, and I’m supposed to get over the fact that my people are gone? Forever?” Aang cried and earthbended a rock towards the sky in fury. “I’m the Avatar. I could have helped them, but no! I just had to run away and be frozen for 100 years! What a magnificent Avatar!” Aang yelled to no-one.

“Aang, it wasn’t your fault. It was Sozin’s.” Hakoda said, simply. “I could have saved them. I could have saved Gyatso.” Aang said, looking down. “Aang, look at what you’ve accomplished just being here. I didn’t use to believe in spirits. Now, I have hope.” Hakoda said, approaching the airbender.

Aang stayed silent for a little more, and then he sighed. “I’m sorry, Chief Hakoda”. Hakoda huffed. “Why are you and Zuko so similar?” He grumbled. Aang raised his eyebrow at that. “What do you mean?” He asked. “Well, you both keep blaming yourselves of things you can’t control, and you keep saying sorry when you have nothing to apologize for.” Hakoda joked, and Aang laughed a bit.

“No, I meant I’m sorry to have yelled like that. I …I really should keep my temper under control.” Aang regained his seriousness once again. Hakoda rubbed Aang’s back. “Aang, you are allowed to be angry about what Sozin did. Do you think _I_ wasn’t angry when we lost Kya and all of our waterbenders to one of Azulon’s raids?” Hakoda asked.

“I…I guess you’re r-right” Aang nodded, and he put his head on Hakoda’s shoulder with a tired sigh. Hakoda hummed and smiled, this situation reminding him of the firebender he had calmed down that afternoon. Aang, Zuko, and the rest of the Gaang, his own kids included, had seen so much. _Too much_ , his mind said. Whoever was in charge of ruling the universe, they were doing a shit job.

They both watched at the stars for quite a long time, Aang thinking about Gyatso and Hakoda thinking about Kya. They both could see their faces up in the stars and that, somehow, reassured them. They were watching over them, and they would always be there with them.

Aang suddenly couldn’t resist anymore, he started talking about his mentor to Hakoda, and Hakoda listened attentively. The ways that Gyatso had trained Aang were hints on Aang’s personality and how Hakoda should treat him, therefore Hakoda listened, and nodded when Aang struggled with his words, encouraging him to continue.

Some of his sentences broke Hakoda’s heart. _“I never wanted to be the Avatar. I just wanted to play with my friends. Is that too much to ask for?”_ But Hakoda remained silent and supportive to Aang’s cries.

He dried Aang’s tears, and let the young airbender explain and ramble for almost an hour. Then, something happened through his mind, something that made him stop.

“Hakoda… I need a bit of advice.” Aang said, frowning. Hakoda nodded. “You can trust me, Aang. Tell me what’s wrong.” He said, looking deep into that pair of young grey eyes. Aang sighed again. _‘Tui and La, what happened to this kid?’_ Hakoda asked himself.

“Well –everyone is expecting me to kill Ozai by the end of the summer.” Aang said. He glanced up to Hakoda, who nodded, encouraging him to continue. “But… But! This goes against _everything_ the Monks… everything Gyatso told me. ‘All life is sacred’, they used to say. And… breaking that…” Aang shook his head, crying again.

“I’m the last airbender left. If I break our ideals, then, nothing is left. Nothing about my nation, my culture, my life is left. I’m the last one, I have… I have duties as the Avatar, but I also have duties as an Air Nomad!” Aang cried and buried his head in his arms. Then, he started sobbing. “I don’t know what to do! Ozai has threatened and killed thousands of lives, including my own people, but… he deserves to live too!” Aang cried, and Hakoda couldn’t stand it more.

He hugged Aang, who desperately grabbed his shirt, like he might fall if he let go. “Aang, listen to me.” Hakoda said, but he had no wisdom to offer to the Avatar. He had nothing to save Aang from this burden. But he could use _someone else’s_ wisdom.

“I know it’s not the same thing, but… When I became a Chief just before my dad’s passing, he told me one thing.” Hakoda rubbed Aang’s back. “What did he tell you?” Aang’s soft voice asked through sobs.

“He was just there, grinning at me, and then I asked ‘ _What do I have to do to be a good leader for our people?_ ’ I was young, and desperate, and I wanted my people to believe in me. Dad… dad smiled at me, and he said ‘ _Well, son, a great leader’s courage to fulfil his role comes from passion, not position.’_ ” Hakoda smiled, remembering that touching moment.

“At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. A leader is a leader because of his position, isn’t he?” Hakoda asked rhetorically. “But now… I understand, Aang. I love my people, and I rule by passion, not by fear.” Hakoda explained. Aang made an understanding noise.  
“I don’t know if this helps you with your moral dilemma. But… well, I think you should always follow your heart. Do not give in the expectations.” Hakoda smiled.

Aang nodded and stood, rubbing his eyes. “Thank you, chief Hakoda.” He said, yawning. “Just Hakoda is fine, Aang.” The Chief of the southern Water Tribe said, clucking. Aang smiled tiredly and nodded. “Okay, Hakoda. G’night.” He yawned once more, and turned to leave.

“And, Aang.” Hakoda said, before the airbender left. Aang turned to look at him. “Know that, whatever you do, whatever you choose…” Hakoda stood and approached him. “…I’ll be proud of you and your choice. Do not forget that.” He finished.

Aang looked up, face full of tears again. He launched himself against Hakoda, and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” He whispered. “You’re most welcome. Now, go to sleep. You’re going to have a rough day tomorrow, with Toph’s earthbending practice.” Hakoda laughed. “Yeah… Good Night!” Aang smiled and air-scooted his way towards the living-sleeping room.

Hakoda laughed and looked at the stars once again. “Thank you, dad. I hope I became the leader you wanted me to be.” He whispered. Then, he turned and made his way towards his room, hoping that Aang felt better now.

\---

Aang’s heart beat faster than ever just as he put one of his hands above Ozai’s head, and the other on his heart. He inhaled sharply, and he focused his Avatar sense on this repugnant man. Just then, the sky parted, half in a red light, and half in a blue light.  
He had to keep this, he had to overpower Ozai. But…

No, no buts. He just had to do it, for the sake of the world.

‘ _But what if Katara is dead because of Azula?’_ A treasonous voice asked him, and he could feel a little of the blue aura slipping away. ‘ _You could have saved the Air Nomads, you know.’_ The voice persisted. _‘If only you were the Avatar everyone needed…’_

‘No, keep going, keep going…’ Aang told himself. ‘ _You’ve dragged five kids to fight in a war. Are you really their friend, or just the boy who doomed them?’_ The voice taunted him. _‘Look at you, Zuko told you all about his father’s cruelness, and you don’t have the guts to save him from his suffering.’_ ‘No! This is the right path!’ Aang responded, but he was slipping away, and so little remained of his aura, and it was fading, and he had failed the world, and…

_“I don’t know if this helps you with your moral dilemma. But… well, I think you should always follow your heart. Do not give in the expectations.” Hakoda smiled.  
_

Suddenly, the sky was blue again, and Aang was free to move. He collapsed to his knees, and Ozai before him did the same. The former Fire Lord tried to bend, directing his fist towards Aang, and the Avatar thought, _‘This is the moment of truth’_. But no fire came out. Aang grinned, and silently thanked Hakoda and his leader wisdom.

He had done it. He had truly done it, and without killing anyone. He just grinned stupidly as Sokka, Suki and Toph landed next to him, in a huge airship that was about to collapse. Toph’s metalbending had done a good job, destroying the fleet threatening the Earth Kingdom.

__  
“Know that, whatever you do, whatever you choose… I’ll be proud of you and your choice. Do not forget that.”  


Aang stood proudly and embraced his friends. Everything was over. The war was over. They had done it.

Now, they had a new world to reconstruct.

**Author's Note:**

> Hakoda: I'm having four babies  
> Aang, Zuko, Suki & Toph : Oh alright.  
> Hakoda: _slams paper on the table_ It's you, sign here.


End file.
